Because I Need You
by ChaiChi
Summary: AU. She was running away from her past. He was looking for his. Fate brought them together. First fic, so please give cold, honest truth. Rated to be safe, although I doubt anything will happen. HIATUS. Need to do some major editing to this.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, Starfire wouldn't be so clingy towards Robin.

Because I Need You

Chapter 1

She was leaving. She couldn't stay, not after the way he had broken her heart. No, she couldn't face him. She needed to leave.

She was all packed. She was leaving for New York City. She always wanted to go there, and it was far away from home. She needed to take time to forget, forget the way he broke her heart. She looked out the window and memories immediately flooded back to her.

_Flashback:_

_They were taking a stroll in the park. It was a clear December night. Rachel and Mark (Malchior) were holding hands, just enjoying being in each other's company._

_They stopped to rest on a bench. "Rachel," Mark began nervously._

"_Yes?" she replied back curiously._

"_Well, we've been together for a while, and I was wondering…" he suddenly got off the bench and down on one knee. He opened a small box to reveal a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"_

_Rachel was stunned. She was so elated. "Yes!" she answered happily. She hugged him._

"_I promise I'll always love you," he murmured._

_End of Flashback_

"And yet, you couldn't keep that promise," Rachel whispered sadly.

_Flashback:_

"_And if anyone has a reason why these two people should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." said the pastor._

_Rachel looked at her husband-to-be. In a few moments she'd be married to the most wonderful man in the world._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled a sullen looking woman._

_Everyone at the church quickly turned heads to see who was causing all the commotion._

_A woman with long black hair and big brown eyes shouted with desperation, "Mark, you said you loved me! Take responsibility for your child!"_

_Everyone gasped at the blasphemy before their eyes. "Mark, how could you?" Rachel cried, tears pouring down her cheeks._

"_Rachel, it's not what it looks like," he protested. He was too late. She had already run out of the church with tears in her eyes._

_End of Flashback_

"Rae, are you ready?" asked a voice behind her.

She turned around and was greeted by the melancholy faces of her two best friends.

"Yeah, I'm ready, Terra."

"Friend Rachel, you're coming back, right? Your absence will only be a brief period, yes?" pleaded Kori.

Rachel sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm coming back, Kori. All I know is that I need some time alone."

She gave each of her friends a hug.

"I hope you come back soon," murmured Terra. "While you're gone, we promise to make that jerk pay for what he did to you."

"Yes, friend Terra is right. He should not have upset you so," Kori joined in.

Rachel smiled at her friends. They always wanted to make sure she was happy. They were so nice and caring. She realized that it could have been the last moment she spent with them. She hugged them again.

"Time to go," said Terra.

They climbed into her car. Rachel looked out the window. "Goodbye," she whispered.

* * *

Well, what did you think? It's my first fic so please give me the cold, honest truth. Did it seem short? Tell me anything you have to say about it! It's usually the first chapter that I have the most trouble with, since I don't know how to start. Please review! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, I would not need to waste my time writing fanfiction because I could make anything that I wanted to happen would happen. Of course, I'm writing a fanfic right now, and Robin and Raven aren't together yet, so I do not own Teen Titans.**

I want to say thanks to anyone who reviewed. In case anyone needs clarity, Rachel is Raven. In the comics her secret identity was Rachel Roth. Oh, and Kori is Starfire, and Richard is Robin for anyone else who needs more clarity on the names. Anyway, on with chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Here he was, Richard Grayson, on a plane to New York City, clutching at a small piece of paper as if his life depended on it. He could not wait until the plane landed, which would probably not be for a while.

"Get a hold of yourself Grayson," he told himself. "Why are you so anxious to see her anyway? You don't have feelings for her anymore.

He sighed. That was the question he wanted to answer. "_Do _I still have feelings for her?" He stared out the plane window as if he would find the answer out there. It was a beautiful summer night. The sky was clear and the moon was full. It reminded him of a memorable night quite a while ago. "The night I promised we'd stay together forever," he murmured. Slowly, his mind lapsed into a memory.

_Flashback_

"_Just think Katy," Richard announced excitedly. "I'll be running my own business and following my father's footsteps. Isn't that great?"_

_Katy (Kitten, blech!) wasn't listening. Her mind was too preoccupied with something she needed to say. "What? Huh? Oh yeah, great."_

_Richard stared at her. Her countenance wore a look of seriousness. She didn't look like the happy, carefree girl he knew and loved. "You alright?" he asked._

_She turned to face him. She had to tell him now, for she might not be able to tell him again. "Richie-poo, (**Please **bear with me!) there's something you should know."_

_He nodded and listened._

"_Well, you know how I've always dreamed of modeling? (Okay, everyone out there reading this. I DO NOT like Kitten! I feel that her shallow and superficial personality would make her one of those girls who dream of something like modeling. But hey, that's just my opinion.) Well, the modeling agency called and I got a job._

_Richard was laughing. "That's all? Gosh, you looked so serious that I thought it was something bad. That's great! It's always been your dream."_

_Katy wasn't laughing though. "Rich, this means that I'm going to have to leave you." She added solemnly._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Richie, Gotham isn't exactly modeling capital of the world. (Is there even such a thing?) Most likely, I'm going to have to travel a lot. Far away from home."_

_He was crestfallen. "What about your family? Your friends? Katy, what about… us?"_

"_I know!" she cried. "I don't want to leave you! But I _can't_ turn this down! I've wanted this ever since I was a little girl! Ever since Daddy got me my first superstar Barbie! Richie-poo, you understand, right?"_

_He knew what he had to do. He couldn't ask her to give up her dream. "Listen, you go do your modeling thing. I promise that we'll make this work," he said seriously._

_She wiped her tears. "You mean it?"_

"_I promise."_

_End of Flashback_

"But we didn't, did we?" he asked himself bitterly. During the early parts of Katy's absence, they corresponded frequently. After a while, her letters came less often, usually in intervals of a couple of months. They were also very vague. Pretty soon they completely lost touch. Richard moved on, but he never forgot her. One day, a letter came in the mail for him. It was from her. He had not seen one in a _very long _time. He tore it open. It read…

_Dear Rich,_

_I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I'm sorry we lost touch. Certain… things have come up that have been constricting my time. I can't explain. I am currently living in New York. Forgive me for not writing._

_Katy_

He wanted to go. She never left his mind, but did he still love her? Could they pretend that no time passed by? He was sure that he would know if he saw her. He left for New York the following day.

"Damn it!" He cursed the time. He still had a _long _way to go before he would see her.

* * *

So, how was this chapter? I know that it seemed short, but, like chapter 1, this is an exposition chapter. Hopefully the others will be longer. Oh, and if anyone wants to know why I chose Kitten as Robin's ex-girlfriend, it's because I like Starfire too much to make her seem, well, you'll find out soon enough. Please review!

Aurora812


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Let's see here. If I owned Teen Titans, I would not be using a disclaimer. I'm using one now, so I do not own Teen Titans.

Sorry this took a while. I'm pretty sure you don't care what my excuse is, so on with the story!

Chapter 3

The plane finally landed, and here she was in the Big Apple itself. It was pretty overwhelming since she had grown up in a small town all her life. Yet, it was also very exciting, and she couldn't wait until morning, when she would explore the urban jungle.

It was sometime around midnight, give or take a few hours, she thought. She reached into her carry on bag and pulled out one of her favorite books, _The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings _by Edgar Allen Poe. The luggage had not come in yet, so she decided to pass the time by reading. She caught some people staring at her and whispering. She could only decipher a few words, including "goth", "freak", and "creepy". She growled internally. It was happening again.

Ever since she was a little girl, Rachel had always been judged by people before they even knew her. In kindergarten, everyone thought she was so weird just because she was reading "The Raven" while the other girls were reading about princesses and ponies. In fifth grade, people labeled her as a goth just because she loved to wear black and purple. She hated it. She hated when people judged her before even knowing her. The only people other than her family that actually got to know her were Kori, Terra, and… Mark.

"Stop it Rachel!" she scolded herself. "You're here to relax and take your mind off things." The luggage finally arrived, and she made her way to the baggage claim as she read her book. She was so deep into "Ligeia" that she didn't watch where she was going.

"Oh!" She accidentally bumped into someone. Her bag, still open because she took her book out, scattered its contents. "Sorry," she mumbled as she hastily gathered her belongings.

She looked up to face whoever it was she had collided into. In front of her was a man. He had dark, ebony hair and deep blue eyes. He looked to be about her age, maybe just a little bit older. For some reason, she couldn't stop from staring.

"Miss? Miss, are you alright?" he asked. She was finally brought back to reality.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm alright. Sorry I bumped into you. I guess I was too deep into my book," she apologized meekly.

"Oh, it's okay. It's my fault anyway. I was thinking too hard. So, what brings you to New York, um…"

"Oh, I'm Rachel," she started nervously. "I'm here because I just wanted to visit? Uh, why are you here… and you are?"

"I'm Richard," he introduced himself politely. "I'm just looking for an old friend of mine. The thing is Katy never left me her address."

"What about on the envelope?" she inquired. "Wait, why do I even care? It's not my business," she thought.

"She didn't leave one either," he admitted. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if she even wants me to find her."

"I'm not even sure if you _can _find her," she said. "Stop it! It's not like you to be so open with people. For all you know, he could have misjudged you like everyone else," her conscience told her. "Ok, well, I've got to go get my stuff," she added. "I really have to go."

"Ok, well, see you around Rachel." He was a bit surprised as to why she had left so suddenly.

"Yeah, you too."

"What were you thinking?" her conscience was shouting at her. "Have you learned nothing? You know how people are. They're all the same. Just one glance at someone different and they'll automatically judge them and treat them as inferiors. That man could have easily run away from you because you're so creepy."

"I am not creepy!" she argued as she grabbed her suitcase. "And he didn't misjudge me either! He was very kind and open."

"It was all an act. He was just being polite. But deep inside, you know he was thinking, 'God, she's so weird and ugly. Why is she even talking to me?' You know he wasn't really being real."

"Just shut up will you!" With that, she climbed into a taxi and stopped thinking so hard.

At her hotel room, she automatically went straight to bed since she felt it was so late. She had a hard time sleeping, but it wasn't just because she was in the city that never slept. Her mind was filled with the incident at the airport. "Why did I even talk to him? I could've just apologized and walked away.

She contemplated on that thought for another half-hour before she finally dozed off.

I _know _that this was probably the crappiest chapter out of the three. Oh, and the little flashback on her life when she took out her book? That's for one of my friends who didn't' understand the story. So I dove a little bit more into character description. I think it messed up the story though. Anyway, please review. I think that this will be the chapter that I get the worst reviews. Remember, please give very harsh criticism so I can make chapter 4 better. I promise, the other chapters will be longer!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **When I finally become dictator of the world, I'll forcibly take control of Teen Titans. Then, I will force the writers to make RR happen. But of course, it's not in my character to be a dictator, so I do not own Teen Titans…yet.

Well, here's where all the good stuff begins. Sorry it's taking so long to post "Eclipse". I can't get it to work for some reason. Anyway, turns out that I have _much _more readers than reviewers. Please review. It helps me feel like people actually want to keep reading. Anyway, here is chapter 4.

Chapter 4

As Rachel opened her eyes, she was greeted by a strong, bright light. She groaned. She didn't exactly get enough sleep, but since she saw that it was pretty late, she decided that she had to get up.

One of the qualities about Rachel that made her proud of herself was that she was careful with money. Unlike Terra and Kori, Rachel didn't exactly feel that shopping was the greatest pleasure brought to women. True, she did buy things occasionally, but most of the time she just saved her earnings. As a result, she had a lot of money to spend in New York and was staying at a very nice hotel. When she finished dressing, she decided that she wasn't hungry. She'd just go to a nearby café and drink some tea there.

When she got to a café and ordered her tea, she was a bit frustrated. Even though she was pretty busy, she always loved to sit down each morning and drink a nice hot cup of tea. "Oh, wait, there's a spot over there," she noticed. "Yeah, but there's someone sitting there already," she told herself again. "But he's the only one there, and it's not like I'm going to have to talk to him." She decided.

She sat down. The man in front of here was too busy reading _The New York Times_ to pay much attention to her. She quietly stirred her tea and sipped. "Mmm," she murmured.

The man put the newspaper down. "Rachel?" asked a familiar voice.

She was surprised. "Richard?" She recognized the familiar black hair and blue eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just getting a cup of coffee before I start the day," he replied. "What about you?"

"Same as you, except it's tea," she answered. "So, any luck finding your friend?" she inquired.

"No. I'm planning on looking for her today. Do you want to help me?"

She scowled at him. "Are you insane? Richard, if your friend wanted you to find her, she would've given you her address. I highly doubt you'll find her unless you hire a private detective. But I don't think she'd appreciate you doing that."

He stared at her. "Hey, I was just asking. You don't need to be all cranky about it."

She looked upset. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just, if your friend wanted you to find her, she would most likely have given you her address. Plus, there are like millions of people in this city. If you wanted to search for her yourself, it would probably take a long time."

"I know that it seems impossible," he admitted. "And yes, I agree with you that she might not appreciate me hiring a private detective. But you really need to understand Katy. She's always been like this her whole life. She's always tried to play hard to get. She's always tried to be a mystery. I haven't seen her in a while, and she probably did this on purpose to remind me about it."

Rachel finished sipping her tea. "Forgive me for saying this, but I think that it's an inappropriate way to remind you about your friendship."

Richard laughed. "It's okay. To tell you the truth, when I first met her, she was pretty annoying. But, once anyone gets to know her, she's a lot of fun."

"It sounds like you were really good friends," she mused.

"We were. She was practically the best friend I ever had." He thought about something for a minute. "Rachel, would you like to help me find her?"

She looked at him as if he were drunk. "Rich, I'm here to go sightseeing. Plus, I just met you. I'm not sure if I could be much of a help."

"That's okay. I'm pretty sure that the both of us don't know anyone in this city. And it's always nice to travel with a buddy." He looked at her with big puppy dog eyes.

She showed no emotion. "Travel with a buddy? What are you? An overgrown boy scout?"

Richard laughed again. "You're really funny. Look, I want to sightsee along with finding Katy. I promise I'll visit wherever you want if you come help me look for Katy." He looked at her with the big puppy dog eyes again.

Rachel sighed. "Oh, all right. I'm going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. We can ask people around if they know your friend. What's her name?"

"Her name is Katy Moth. You should probably use 'Kaitlin Moth' though. Wait. You're an art person?" he asked amusedly.

"Well, yeah. What do I look like? A shopping person?" she inquired slightly offended.

"No. It's just that most girls I know aren't into stuff like that. They're all too worried about their looks and fashion."

"If you ask me, that kind of stuff is dangerously shallow and superficial," she replied monotonously.

Richard was intrigued. "You know Rachel, you're really one of a kind."

She glared at him. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

He laughed for the third time that day. "What is he laughing at?" Rachel asked herself. I'm not _that_ funny, am I?"

"Of course it's a compliment. Well, are you ready to go sightseeing and searching?" he asked her.

"Yeah, as long as you keep your end of the deal and promise to go everywhere I want," she said.

"I promise. I swear."

"You'd better." After that, they got up and headed towards the bus stop. "I'm not sure, but I think I made a friend instead of an enemy for once," she thought. They pared their fare and took a seat.

* * *

So, what'd you think? Two chapters in one day! That's pretty good in my opinion. Anyway, drop a review. Don't' be shy. I'll appreciate anything you'd like to comment about. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **When I finally own Teen Titans, I'd ask all the authors who wrote wonderful RobRae fanfics if I could use their stories as the plot for future episodes of Teen Titans. Unfortunately, I have not seen any episodes resembling my favorites, so I do not own Teen Titans.

Sorry about the delay, but may I remind you that I posted two chapters in one day last time. Plus, I had a hard time trying to get this story to be long enough. So anyway, this chapter won't exactly be the most exciting, let me warn you. If you'd like to, you may feel free to skip reading this chapter, because it's pretty much just a prelude into chapter 6. Review please!

Chapter 5

As much as she would have hated to admit it, Rachel actually enjoyed her deal with Richard. The two had become fast friends, and she was surprised that Richard, unlike Kori and Terra, was actually quite interested in a lot of things she was interested in. She found it refreshing to hang out with someone at a museum and not worry about them complaining or dozing off. Surprisingly, she also enjoyed helping him search for his friend Katy, though she'd never tell anyone for fear of never letting her live it down. Their usual days consisted of going to a national landmark, museum, or gallery and asking everyone they saw if they knew Katy. The usual conversation went something along the lines of this.

"_Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but would you by any chance know a Kaitlin Moth?"_

"_Moth? Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name."_

It was a bit disappointing. It was their fourth day searching, and they still hadn't found her. They went to go relax and watch the sunset. It was quiet for a while until Richard finally broke the silence.

"How many people do you think we've asked by now?" he wondered.

Rachel, a bit surprised by the sudden outburst, replied, "I'm not really sure. But after about 38 hours of asking everyone in sight, 'Hi, do you know a Kaitlin Moth?' you'd think we'd get one response that said yes."

He nodded. "That's true."

"So, Rich, what was she like, Katy? I mean, here I am searching for someone, yet I barely even know them," Rachel pointed out.

"Well, you see Rae, I haven't seen Katy for a while, but I hope she's still the same person she was when I last saw her," he answered.

"Then, what was she like when you last saw her?"

"You see, it's weird. Katy is one of the most materialistic, spoiled, selfish girls you could ever meet. She loves to be adored by everyone and will do anything to make sure she's the best. She constantly hounds and flirts with any hot guy that she meets and she doesn't take anything important like schoolwork seriously," Richard answered.

"Then why the hell do you hang out with her?" Rachel asked quite horrified. "She doesn't sound like a person that you'd be able to tolerate."

Richard just laughed. "I was expecting you to say that. Yeah, most people don't understand how I can put up with her, seeing as the two of us have practically nothing in common. But come on, don't you have any friends that are complete opposites of you?"

Rachel thought about it for a minute and replied, "Actually, yeah I do. My friend Kori is carefree, hyper, bubbly, naïve, everything I'm not. Yet, she cares deeply about everything. She's really a compassionate person, and she always manages to help me and Terra look at the bright side of things. But she's not as insane as your friend Katy."

He frowned. "See, I don't understand that. When we were still in high school, she was pretty much hated by everyone at school. I'm not really sure why. Katy's a good person, and she, like your friend Kori, also manages to cheer me up. Though she's not quite as compassionate or caring, she's still got a good heart."

"You're really eager to see her, aren't you?" Rachel guessed.

"I've waited a _very_ long time to see her. She was one of the best friends that I ever had," Richard mused.

"Oh."

There was a pause again. Richard was the one who broke the silence again.

"It's weird. Here we are, two people who are good friends, yet we haven't had one single conversation that doesn't involve Katy. We've never really talked to each other."

"That is a bit strange," Rachel agreed.

"So, Rachel, tell me a little bit about yourself."

"No thanks. You go first."

"Fine. Well, my name is Richard Grayson."

"Oh, like I didn't already know that," Rachel commented sarcastically.

"Shut up. I grew up in Gotham all my life. My parents died while I was still young, and I was raised by my adopted father, Bruce Wayne. I have two best friends who _never_ get along with each other, Victor Stone and Kaitlin Moth. Currently, I'm majoring in business, and I plan on taking over Wayne Enterprises one day."

"That's all?" Rachel asked. "No hardships in your life besides losing your parents?"

"No, that's all," he answered.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents," she whispered quietly.

"It's alright. So, anyway, tell me about yourself."

"Ok. First of all, my name is Rachel Roth. I grew up in a small town a couple hundred miles outside of Jump City my whole life. I hated the place where I grew up, and the day I left home to attend Jump City University was the greatest day of my life."

"What was so terrible about it?"

"Everyone in my hometown was so stereotyped and judgmental. I was criticized ever since I was a little girl for being the way I was. You know, reading and studying art instead of playing with dolls and having tea parties."

"So, you never knew anyone who didn't prejudge you?"

"No, my family was always quite distant. We never really talked, but I'm pretty sure that they didn't like the way I was. To tell you the truth, the only people who never prejudged me are Kori, Terra, and you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's amazing how you can put up wit my personality for a couple of days now. Most people get sick of me after just a few minutes."

Richard laughed again. "You've got to be kidding me. You're a really great person, and I respect the fact that you be yourself instead of giving into pressure and trying to change."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

They paused again, hoping not to blurt out their thoughts. Rachel turned her head slightly. The light from the sunset shining on Richard made him… glow almost. He looked really radiant. She cursed under her breath when she realized what she was thinking.

"What did you just say?" he inquired.

"Nothing." She tried as hard as she could to conceal the crimson spreading across her face, but couldn't quite do it. She didn't know it, but Richard was staring at her.

"She looks cute when she blushes," he thought.

"Wait, what am I thinking? I like Katy, right? Plus, Rachel only considers me to be her friend, which is probably a privilege since she doesn't have that many. I'm not going to risk her hating me by telling her what I think."

"Hey, it's getting late, Richard. We should probably go get some dinner now."

"Okay." They stopped at the nearest restaurant and didn't talk to each other during the meal. Both were lost in their thoughts, thought neither of them knew exactly what the other was thinking.

* * *

Again, like I said, this chapter is just foreshadowing. I still don't know what possessed me into rating this story 'T' since it probably isn't. I think I should probably start rating my stories 'T' when I actually have mild language and drug references. But of course, my friends read my stories, and I'd most likely shock them if I started to do that. Sorry if the story didn't seem descriptive or long enough. Give me a break! I'm only 13! Then again, that's not exactly the best excuse, is it? Oh well. Review! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I probably will never own Teen Titans. If I did, I'd be in an alternate dimension. I don't own it!

It's chapter 6. Well, here you go.

Chapter 6

After that day, the two decided to split up in their search. They used the excuse that they'd cover more ground, but they really just needed time away from each other. Both of them were unsure of their feelings at that point and needed some time to think.

It was an unusually lazy day for Rachel. She went back to her hotel after only a few hours of being out and just lay on her bed and contemplated on things. Only one thing occupied her mind, and it was someone she had just met, but for some reason, was always thinking about him.

She watched the ceiling fan go round and round. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she thought. "He's my friend. It's rare that I people even want to get to know me. Am I really gonna risk that for something as stupid as romance?"

She sighed and rolled over to her side. She started to think of someone else. This time it was someone she had never met but felt envious of. She was jealous of Katy. She hated the fact that she was so prissy, girly, and materialistic, but Richard, "for some reason only God would know," she thought bitterly, seemed to care more about her. Rachel knew that Katy was the only reason that she even got to spend time with him. She felt guilty and dishonest, but she really did not want to ever find her.

She groaned. "Why am I behaving this way? Why am I being so shallow and superficial? Why do even like him?"

"_Maybe it's because he has qualities that you admire, but never saw in anyone else," _her conscience said to her.

She stopped for a second. She hated when her conscience would talk to her. It always made her feel like an idiot. She would ask something, her conscience would answer her, and she'd feel stupid for not realizing it in the first place.

"I guess he does. I mean, he is sweet and trustworthy and kind and caring and brave and funny and… and…"

Realization hit her. She smacked herself.

"I can't be in love with him can I? I can't go through all that again!"

* * *

Richard came back from his search at around 3 o'clock. Normally, he and Rachel stayed out until nearly 8, but he needed some time to compose his thoughts.

"_What are you doing fool? You're here to look for your ex-girlfriend, not to fantasize about Rachel!"_

He ignored his conscience and continued to think about her anyway.

Richard wasn't exactly sure why, but there was something about Rachel that intrigued him. The way she talked, her personality, the air of mystery surrounding her held something over him. He loved thinking about her, but felt so guilty about it.

"_You can't date her. I'll give you two good reasons why! 1. She's your friend. Do you really want to lose that? 2. You promised Katy forever!"_

He shrugged it off. He knew that he felt something about Rachel. He intended to find out what exactly it was. Hopefully, it wasn't really anything too serious, but if it was, he had to know. It was just the way he was. He always had to solve a mystery, even if the result was ugly. He thought about it for a few more minutes then leaned over to grab his cellphone.

* * *

Her phone was ringing. Of all people, it had to be him. "Curse you!" she whispered at it. She couldn't talk to him, not yet at least. She decided not to answer it and listen to his message so she'd know why he called her.

The phone stopped ringing. "Hey, this is Rachel. I can't come to the phone for one of two reasons. One, I'm really busy and can't come to the phone. Two, I don't know who you are and most likely do not want to bother wasting breath to talk to you. Leave a message and I'll call you back. That is, if I want to."

She listened attentively. "Rae, I know you're there. It's me, Richard. There's something I really need to ask you. Pick up."

She held the phone cautiously, as if it was some dangerous chemical that would burn her flesh if she made any sudden movements. She took a slow breath. "He just needs to ask me something. All I have to do is answer and I can hang up," she rationalized. She flipped it open and dialed '555-7626'

She listened as it dialed. "Hello?" Richard asked.

She gulped. "Yeah, uh, Richard, it's me, Rachel."

He froze. "Okay, I'm actually gonna do this. I have to, if I'm ever going to know."

"Oh, right. Listen, Rae, there's something I really need to ask you."

She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever it was. "What is it?"

"Um… do you have any plans tonight?"

She was surprised. Was he asking her out?

"No, not really."

He was panicking. "Great, because, I just wanted to ask you, do you want to, maybe hang out tonight? Maybe go to dinner or watch a movie or something?"

"You mean like a date?"

He was shaking all over. _"No, it's not a date!"_ his conscience screamed at him. _"You're just taking her out to dinner. You're just two friends going out for a little bit."_

"Well, I guess you could call it that," he stammered.

"Uh, um, well…"

"So, is around 7, okay?" he asked, slightly more confident this time.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, well bye."

She paused for a moment. She thought about what just happened. Her mouth suddenly formed a smile.

"I _love_ this city!"

* * *

Yes, I know. It was a bit short, but I can't have this _and_ the date in the same chapter. It would make _two _cliffhangers. Well, sort of. And yes, I know it's not the best way for someone to ask another person out, but if you think about it, it's kind of hard to make a good "asking out" scene. Oh, and if you're wondering about Richard's phone number, the last four digits are 7627. If you look on the phone keys, those numbers contain the letters ROBN. Sorry, if you people out there already knew that, but I know some people who really don't understand that. Anyway, drop a review. I'd love to hear all the criticism you can throw at me! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** When I own Teen Titans, the characters would finally wear something other than their uniforms in the free time. Good thing too, since Robin's really bugs me. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet, so I don't own Teen Titans.

Sorry I took so long to update. Anyway, forgive me for the lack of quality in this chapter. I couldn't just skip from their newfound feelings for each other to finding Katy, so I decided to make them go on a date. How original. I'm pretty sure that this chapter is going to be the worst one, so give the cold, honest truth.

Chapter 7

Rachel looked in the mirror and carefully scrutinized herself. "Oh, God. What did I get myself into?" she moaned. She sighed and decided to try on another outfit for the seventh time. "It has to be… perfect, like Terra would say it. I should be eye catching, but not too flashy. It should be cute, but not too revealing." She groaned. "Why is it that everything I wear looks horrible on me?"

She decided that she needed someone else's opinion, so she decided to call the two people in the world that she knew would give her an honest answer. She picked up her phone and dialed "555-8372".

* * *

"Kori, I think you should put on some lip gloss," observed Terra.

Kori looked at herself. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Which one? The light or dark pink one?"

All of a sudden, Terra's phone rang. The number said, "555-7286"

"Oh, my god!" Terra exclaimed. "Hello?" she asked.

"Terra?"

"Rae, how are you?" Terra had no time to ask her anything else since Kori pounced on her and grabbed the phone.

"Rachel? How are you faring over there? Are you missing us? Are you getting over your ordeal? Please inform us!"

"I'm fine, Kori. Yes, I miss the two of you. I'm getting over it pretty well. I've gone from depressed to slightly bummed."

"This is wonderful news, friend. Please, why have you called us? Are you in need of something?"

"Yes, there's something that I need to ask the both of you, and I need your honest answers."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, oh this is so embarrassing but, which of my outfits looks best on me?"

Kori, slightly stunned by this strange question, handed the phone to Terra, who was just as curious as she was. "I think our friend would benefit more from your advice."

"Rae?" she asked a bit skeptically.

"Yeah?"

"Personally, I think your midnight blue dress cut off at the knees is nice. But tell us something. Why do care about what you wear? The last time you asked us this was when… oh."

Terra pondered about something for a minute. She looked at Kori and could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Rae, would you happen to be going out on a date tonight?" she asked, hoping that her friend wouldn't verbally attack her for jumping to that conclusion.

Rachel, however, just turned scarlet. "Where did that come from?" she asked, her voice slightly rising in pitch.

Kori and Terra noticed Rachel's change in pitch. She usually did that when she was lying. The two of them grinned and immediately started pounding her with questions.

"What's his name?"

"Describe him."

"What's he into?"

"Is he cute?"

Rachel hung up before they started asking anymore questions. She turned her phone off, in case they decided to call her and start doing some detective work.

She searched through all her stuff and found her midnight blue dress. She changed into it and looked again in the mirror. "I hope that what Terra said was true."

* * *

Richard arrived at around 7:08. He called Rachel to tell her he was there. When she arrived, he was speechless. She was wearing a beautiful dress that showed off her well toned arms and legs. She had on just little bit of eyeshadow that set of her amethyst eyes. She still looked like her usual self, but at the same time, somewhat different.

"Rich, you okay?" she asked a bit concerned.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. I'm alright."

"So, ready to go?"

"Yeah."

They went to a nice fancy restaurant. She wasn't very hungry, so she just ordered a salad. He felt the same way and asked the waiter to make it two. They both sat in silence, afraid to talk to each other. The waiter just looked at them and shook his head.

Rachel was the one to break the silence. "So, um, why did you want to go out tonight?"

Richard groaned inwardly. She was already making it hard on him by just staring at him. He was already getting distracted by her looks. Now she was asking him a question that he really did not feel like answering.

When he didn't answer, she felt a bit hurt. If he was doing this because he was pitying her, she didn't like it one bit.

"It's just, I haven't seen you in a while."

_That_ made her feel better.

"You know what?" he asked. "I'm not really hungry, are you?"

"No, not really."

"Do you want to leave and go do something else?"

"Gladly."

They got up and left. The waiter stared at them again and smiled.

Instead of a normal, boring night at a restaurant filled with overpriced food lacking any quality, the two spent the night talking while taking a _very _long walk in Central Park.

"Are you serious?" she asked him.

"Yeah, that was a nightmare."

"That's funny. To most guys, that would be a dream come true."

"_Excuse me?_ Getting stalked all day by a group of girls holding mistletoe above their heads as they walk _is not_ something that I enjoyed."

She giggled at this.

They spent the rest of their walk in the park sharing things about themselves. They learned things that they had never known about each other. Rachel learned that Richard's parents were acrobats before they died, and he had learned a good deal from them. She was impressed when he demonstrated his skills. Richard learned that Rachel had read all the books in her town's local library by the time she was 13. "They didn't have a lot of good books," she commented.

It was late when they got back, possibly around midnight or 1 in the morning. He escorted her all the way to her door.

He was thinking really hard. "Don't do it! Don't do it!" his mind warned him.

He shrugged it off. "No, I am doing it. I am."

"Anyway, thanks. I had a good time," she said.

She looked at his face and could tell that he wasn't listening. "Umm…"

Suddenly, he caught her off guard and took her by surprise. He grabbed her and kissed her. To his surprise, she kissed him back.

They were both shocked by their actions. "Ok, bye," they both said nervously. He turned and left, and she pondered what caused both of them to do what they just did.

* * *

Again, I apologize for the cheesiness, cliches, word choices, and any other faults that I may not have mentioned. Anyway, for my friend who doesn't understand the numbers I choose for the characters' phone numbers, Terra's spells TERA and Rachel's spells RAVN. I hope I explained myself clearly. Anyway, for this chapter, I seriously do mean it when I say please give cold, honest truth. Oh, and I changed the rating again since I don't want little kids to read my horribly planned plotlines.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I'm not yet an adult. I doubt that I'd be able to force Glen Murakami into making me in control of Teen Titans. So, there you go, I don't own Teen Titans.

Not much to say, so here's chapter 8!

Chapter 8

Rachel stayed at the hotel all day the next day. She kept smiling and rewinding and replaying in her mind the events that happened the night before. She sighed dreamily until she realized that she wasn't quite acting like herself.

Now, her conscience was torn into two halves. They would constantly argue, but she'd always take the first one's side.

"_Yay! He likes her! I'm so glad she did that."_

"_Shut up! He probably hates her now for what she did. Once they meet up with his friend, he's going to forget all about her and never talk to her again."_

"_Yes he will! I know because I don't think he just _likes _her. I think he _loves _her!"_

"_You are so impressionable and unrealistic. He's probably just one of those guys who don't give a damn about who they go out with. He could have had twenty ex-girlfriends for all we know."_

"_Why do you have to be so pessimistic all the time? Why can't you look at the bright side of things and fantasize?"_

"_Because then I'd be a loser, like you."_

Rachel had pretty much had enough of all the chaos going on inside her head. Yet, there was one question that she couldn't avoid. "Do I love him, or is this just attraction?"

She thought about it for a while. "He is very good looking, but there's more to him than that! He's sweet, and caring, and understanding, and he's never lied to me. But, how do I really feel? Right now, by the way I'm talking about him, I could be describing one of my friends."

"_Oh! I can help you with that!"_

It was her happy side again. "Sure, why not?" She needed advice anyway, and she _really did not _want to ask either Kori or Terra.

"_Why do you always think about him?"_

"Because I'm not sure how I feel."

"_Why are you always so nervous whenever he's around?"_

"I don't want to end up embarrassing myself in front of him."

"_Why are you worried about that if you just said he was sweet and understanding?"_

"I don't know."

"_What if you never saw him again? What if he loves you but is just too afraid to tell you? What if he disappeared before you got a chance to tell him?" _her conscience, the happy side, at least, was screaming at her.

She stopped. "Never see him again?" She shuddered to think about that. She still had Kori and Terra, and she loved them very much, but Richard, was different. He was similar to her. He could relate to her. He understood things about her that the other two had yet to understand. Sometimes it was a bit creepy to think that someone understood you so well, but it felt good when it was someone you could trust.

"I couldn't handle it. If I never saw him again, I'd fall back into my misery back home. Kori and Terra try, but they don't know me as well as he does. I think… I really do."

"_Great! You _finally _see it! Good job! Now go tell him how you feel before it's too late."_

She nodded. She hastily grabbed her phone again, but before she could dial, she had an incoming call. "It's him!" she squealed gleefully. She answered. "Richard?"

"Hey, Rae."

"I've got something I need to tell you."

"That's great. But can you wait a little? I've got great news too! You can say it after I finish."

"Okay. What's going on?"

"I found out where Katy is!"

Her face darkened. She tired her best to sound as excited as she could. "Really? How?"

"I was asking this one lady the usual question, and she's all like, 'As a matter of fact, yes, I do know her.' And then I was all like, 'What? Are you serious? Kaitlin Moth? Blond hair, in her twenties?' Then she's all, 'Yes, that one. I met her a few weeks ago.' She also knew her address, so we're going to go see her today. Oh, I know you'll like her. Aren't you excited?"

She was lying through her teeth. "Mm-hmm. Sure. When do we meet her?"

"I'm coming by in a few minutes. God, I wonder what she's been up to. Can you be ready by then?"

"Yeah, I'll be ready."

"Great. Oh, wait. What did you want to say?"

"It can wait."

And with that, she hung up. She really did not want to meet Rich's best friend. She held back

her tears so he wouldn't be suspicious.

"After we see her, I promise I _will _tell him," she assured herself. She went down to the lobby and met him a few minutes later.

* * *

Sorry for the shortness of the chpater, but it had to be this way. Anyway, please review in any way, shape, or form. It could be compliments, comments, constructive criticism, or even flames. Tell me what you think please! I'd like to know how I can improve.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Teen Titans, don't you think you'd see my name in the credits? You don't so I don't own it.

Anyway, here's chapter 9. I took the time to actually read all the reviews, and Final Fight was right. This story is inconsistent. That's why I'm not too confident about it. Oh yeah. And a while back, Black Comet reviewed and guessed what Katy was doing while she was away. Congratulations! You've guessed it right! Now, continue reading the inconsistent story I think is not very good.

Chapter 9

Rachel stared out the bus window and tried to focus her thoughts on something else. She concentrated on the scenery out the window, but with now success. There were just some things she couldn't get off of her mind. She couldn't shake off the fact that she _really _did not want to meet someone, but something else hurt her even more. She couldn't forget Richard's tone. He sounded so excited on the phone. He sounded like he was more than just friends with Katy in the past. He sounded like he still loved her, and Rachel just couldn't take it.

She drove her attention away from the window and started to focus on the seat in front of her. It was all torn up and written all over. She silently read everything inscribed on it. "Go to hell!", "Your momma's so fat that she…" (The other words were barely legible.), "I'm crazy, hyper, and evil!", and "T.M. loves G.L." were a few of them. She chuckled slightly at the last one. "T.M. and G.L. Sounds like something Terra would write."

"Rae?"

She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Rachel?"

She cringed and turned to face him. She tried her best to answer casually. "Yeah?"

"We're here."

They got out of the bus and stared at the building in front of them. It was really old and looked deserted. There was graffiti sprayed all over the façade and sides, and there were teens outside looking like they were up to no good.

"You're sure this is the right place?" Rachel asked skeptically.

"I'm pretty sure." Richard was just as surprised as she was. "That's what that one lady said."

They walked inside. The interior was no nicer than the outside. "Let's see," he said looking down at a scrap of paper. "She lives on the fifth floor in number 515."

Rachel had a hunch that the elevator wasn't safe to use, so they used the stairs. It was a good thing too. As they ascended the flight and reached the second floor, they heard over the intercom that the elevator had stopped working. "Lucky for us," Richard commented.

As they drew closer and closer to room 515, the sounds coming from it got clearer. There was the sound of bawling and a tired sounding women shouting, "Shut up, child!" After that remark, the bawling only got louder.

They paused for a minute, not sure if they would like what they saw on the other side of the door. After a moment, Richard knocked on the door.

The sound of bawling got even louder. The women shouted, "I'm _coming_! I said shut up child!"

The door creaked open. Inside stood a drunken looking woman staring up at them. Her eyes looked tired and bloodshot. She was hunched over a bit, and her hair and clothes were a mess.

Richard and Rachel exchanged glances. "Who is this?" Rachel asked him.

"Not sure, just don't tell her who we are, yet."

"Uh, who are you peoples?" the woman asked in a droning, slow voice.

"Yeah, uh, we're here to visit Kaitlin Moth?" Richard announced, a bit unsure. "Is she here?"

The woman in front of them thought for a while. "That's me. Do I get the job now?"

Rachel looked at Richard with an inquisitive stare. He shrugged as if to say, "I have no idea either."

"Do you want to see my pretty house?" she asked them, though they weren't quite sure since she was staring a bug on the hallway ceiling.

They stepped inside. The interior of the house was not at all what they suspected. The walls were bleached white and peeling. It was a one bedroom apartment with a tiny bathroom and kitchen. Clothes were thrown all over the furniture and floor, most of them unwashed. The air smelled distinctly like a mix of alcohol and drugs.

Rachel, a bit taken aback by the living conditions, felt so sorry when she saw a little baby crying on the floor, lying on top of a bunch of dirty clothes. She picked it up and said, "It's okay." She looked around hoping to find a crib of some sort, but when there was none in sight, she just put it on the couch and wrapped a clean looking blanket around it. "Stupid little slut," she muttered under her breath.

She then joined Richard and Katy at the table for some tea and coffee. She gave Katy a cold look as she sat down.

"So, who are you two people?" Katy asked them again.

Richard was the one to answer. "Katy, don't you remember me?"

She snorted. "Don't call me Katy. Call me _Kitten_! Katy is such a dorky little girl's name. Kitten sounds so perfect and mature. And I haven't been called Katy since…"

She then stared at him. She was observing him, paying very close detail. She was getting a bit too close for his comfort, so he lightly pushed her back.

Rachel stayed silent the whole time. From the way Richard had told her about Katy, she was a bit disturbed by the reality. There were a lot of things on her mind. A lot of things happened that she didn't expect. She hadn't expected to find Katy so fast. She hadn't expected Richard to be so excited. She hadn't expected to find that her living conditions were in terrible shape. She hadn't expected to find her drunk. She hadn't expected to find a baby lying in a pile of dirty clothes. All of these things that she didn't expect made her hate Katy even more. Yet, she kept her cool and maintained her control. After all those unexpected surprises, she should have expected even more strange things. The next thing that she saw came totally out of the blue and it made her feel like screaming.

"Richie-poo?" Katy wondered.

_That_ started to make Rachel's blood boil.

"Katy?" he asked in the same way.

Katy's face then widened into a huge, demented grin. "You _did _keep your promise," she murmured while stroking his hair.

Rachel knew something was up. She had a sickening feeling that she had been lied to. If Richard and Katy really _were _just friends, Katy, er.. Kitten, wouldn't have been acting that way. Then again, if they were more than friends, Richard's face would not have been as blank and affectionless as it was at the moment. So, she decided that Kitten had just gone insane. "Ha ha. Insane Kitten. What a surprise," she thought.

She watched the two. Kitten's face still looked like she won a million dollars, and Richard still seemed somewhat disgusted.

"Katy," he began.

"Kitten, remember?" she crooned.

"Uh, right. What exactly…"

The sight in front of her was just too much for Rachel. Kitten just pounced on Richard and pulled him into a mike out session. It wasn't the fact that they were kissing in front of that hurt her so much. It was the fact that even though Richard didn't kiss Kitten back, he still didn't pull away, even though he was highly capable of doing so. She felt tears coming again and tried to hold them back. "Please get me out of here. Please," she begged silently.

"Beep beep beep beep."

The sound alarmed the three of them. Rachel's phone was ringing. Richard looked at her expression. She looked hurt. He saw that she was almost crying. "Excuse me, I've got to go." Her voice was cracking. She ran out of there as quickly as she could.

Richard needed to talk to her. "No! You can't go! _Nobody leaves Kitten! Nobody!"_

He had to get out. He made up and excuse, "No, Kitten. I forgot that I left your present outside."

"Present? Well hurry up so you can give it to me!"

When she got outside of the building, she decided to check who called her. "Kori," she said, redialing.

Kori picked up very fast. "Rachel, how are you doing? I called you just a moment ago, but you didn't pick up. I decided just to let you call me when you could."

Rachel just sniffled. Kori knew that it wasn't a good thing. "Friend, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to let you know I'll be back home soon. Probably tomorrow or the day after that."

"That's wonderful! Did you get me a present?"

She hung up. She was just about to cross the street when she heard a familiar voice shout, "Wait!"

* * *

Okay, I know I'm being hypocritical when I ask you to review while I haven't reviewed very much either. Well, I'm going to do that just now, so please review! Give me some criticism so I can get better please!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I'm not allowed to own anything yet, my parents won't let me. I doubt they'd let me own Teen Titans if I even had a chance at owning it. I don't own it.

Well, we're nearing the end. Probably only 1 or 2 more chapters after this one. I really need to think of something new. Well, enjoy this not-so-enjoyable chapter.

* * *

Chapter 10

"Rachel, wait!"

She knew who it was. She didn't have to face him. He had what he wanted. She had done her part in helping him find her. Now it was time to move on.

He had finally caught up to her. "Rae, look, it's not what it seemed like."

That _really _made her tick. Trying not to appear hurt or sad, she used her most sarcastic and cold tone. "Oh really? So you mean Kitten really _isn't _poor and living in slump? Kitten really _didn't _get pregnant while you two were separated. Kitten really _wasn't _more than just a friend and that kiss was just "a sign of affection almost as if you two were siblings"? Tell me Richard, how is it _not _what it seemed like?"

He was speechless. His head was spinning with all the events of that day, the shock of finding Kitten in the state she was in, Rachel storming out, all the questions she had just asked him.

"I thought so." She started walking away from him again.

"Hey, wait!"

She stopped and he caught up to her. "And why should I? After you lied about everything? After how I can't trust you anymore?"

"Look, I wasn't intending to lie to you."

"Oh, and Kitten really is just your best friend and you two just happen to exchange saliva when you meet? Face it. You lied. That's all there is. She was really not just your friend, but _girlfriend_. You could at least have told me the truth that you were still in love with her."

"Whoever said I was still in love with her?" he asked impatiently. "This is the whole reason why I came here. I wasn't sure if I still liked her or not. I only came here to find out. Besides, why do you care anyway?"

"You could have at least told me that she wasn't just a friend."

"I didn't think it would matter."

"Didn't think it would matter? What's your problem?" This time, she started to crack. She was losing her composure. "You tell me that your relationship with her is nothing more than friendship. Then you go out with me, kiss her when we find her, and you expect me to be okay? Richard, it _does_ matter that you should have told me."

"But why do you even care? If you hate her so much, why did you even decide to help me find her? Why do you always have to tell people like it is? Why do you care about what everyone tells you? You know Rachel, you take _everything_ too seriously. Why can't you… oh, I don't know… be more like her?"

He thought he had won, but really he just felt a pang of guilt as he watched her expression. She wasn't exactly crying, but he felt so bad just looking at her. It was kind of like the expression little children had when they got hurt. They were so sad upset that the only way to make them feel better was to let them cry, but they wouldn't do it because you told them that it wasn't "the right thing to do". Then you'd feel terrible for being responsible for making them experience that emotion. The same thing was happening at the moment, though not exactly the same scenario.

"Rachel, look I'm sorry. I just… I don't know why you cared that much."

She stared at him that time. "Idiot. Why do you think? I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. You don't care at all. You were too busy to notice."

"What are you talking about?"

She was now crying so hard that he was having a problem comprehending what she was saying. "After… everything… went through… best thing… happened to me…"

Her sentences were broken. She was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. "And then… she did… you lied…"

He grabbed a hold of her. He looked into her eyes and said firmly, "Rae, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't …want happen… but did… glad that …cared… I just… I… I…"

"Rae?" He was frightened by her expression again. Now she looked like she had nothing left in life to live for. She looked like she wanted to get away from the world, go someplace where she could be all alone.

"Richard, I think…no, I know. I lo-"

She started to cry even more. She ran away again. "Rae!" He soon lost sight of her. He punched a brick wall until his knuckles bled. He knew _exactly _what she was going to say. "You're so stupid, Grayson! Why didn't you see it! Why did you let her get away? You're an idiot. Stupid!"

A little child was staring at him in confusion and fear. "What?" he asked harshly.

He went back to the Katy's apartment. "Oh, Richie, you're back!" Kitten clung to him so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe.

"Get off."

"I'm sorry, Richie. Did you bring me my present?"

"Present?" He reached into his pocket, fished around a bit and pulled out a stick of gum he had for a few days. "Go crazy," he mumbled. (Pfft. As if she wasn't already!)

"Ooh, it's wonderful! Isn't this great, Richie-poo? Just you and me now altogether forever!"

He really _could not _figure out why he even liked this crazy, delusional woman in the first place. "Yay, whoo," he replied flatly.

"Oh I know!" Just then the baby started crying again. She ran over, picked it up and yelled, "Just shut up now, will you!" Then she put it back down and went back to her 'boy'.

He really didn't care anymore, be it either with manners or common courtesy. "So, what do you mean by 'do I get my job now?' What happened with your career?" he asked tactlessly.

She was now silent, no longer the loud, hallucinating person she was a while ago. "Kitten?" he asked.

"Don't you get it?" she whispered. She held her knees, rocking back and forth. "I'm a loser!" That time it was much louder. "I applied for the job but they turned me down and said that I was fat and ugly! (Hehe, I hope you don't mind when I think this is hilarious.) So then I got depressed and tried to lose weight. I did, and they accepted me. But I developed an eating disorder from it and they fired me when I fainted on the runway. So I slipped into depression. I honestly don't know who Carrie's father is!" Richard took Carrie to be the little baby that he felt sorry for since Kitten always shouted at her. "All I remember was being drunk and high at some party. I don't know who it was, and it most likely could have been a stranger. I have no friends, and nobody likes me. The only person who will actually talk to me is my shrink, who I've stopped attending sessions with since I'm so poor now that I can't afford an apartment, clothes, beer, and a shrink." Richard noticed that she didn't mention 'baby' in that list.

She was now sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm a loser. I've hit rock bottom, but there's no way to go back up. I'm so glad you're here now, Richie, since it's been so good to see you."

She was expecting him to hug her and comfort her. It was completely the opposite. Most people, after hearing such a terrible narrative, would comfort whoever it was that suffered. Richard, though, didn't feel any sympathy for Kitten. "So after all those promises, you broke them," he replied coldly.

"I didn't _mean _to!" she wailed in a high pitched, annoying voice. "I _do _love you Richard! I do! You coming back for me is the best thing that's happened to me in a while. You _can't _go. I'll _die _without you!" She grabbed at his ankles, as if she knew he already didn't want to be there.

He looked down at her. She smiled up at him. "You still care?" she asked in wonder. "You're not leaving? I hope not. I'll die without you here."

He didn't smile. His face was void of emotion. "Well, if you'll die without me," he started. "then I'll be sure that whoever gives your eulogy includes that."

She was stunned. "No! You can't go! _Nobody dumps Kitten! Nobody, I said! DO NOT GO OUT THAT DOOR! NOBODY LEAVES ME!"_

He was already at the door. He opened it wide. "Well, as you can see, nobody dumps you because nobody likes you in the first place."

She ran out the door chasing him. "No! Richie, don't go!" She tried as hard as she could to follow him, but she couldn't because he had always been much faster than her and her layer of fat surrounding her skin slowed her down tremendously. "NO! You're going to pay for this! I won't stand being dumped! I don't get dumped. _I _dump others. From this moment on, consider us over, Richard Grayson!"

He got out of the building and breathed a sigh of relief. The first thing he did was report the child abuse to social services. Then the next thing he did was rush to grab his stuff and try to catch up with Rachel before she got back home. He remembered something she had said to him a few days ago. "Jump City. I hope she doesn't already hate my guts," he muttered. He grabbed a seat on the plane, next to two other people. He smiled at them, and sat down. "It's going to be a while…"

* * *

Ok, I know that the word choice was bad, and the arrangement of the plot was bad, and the dialogue was _really _bad. What did you think? Yeah, I know it's not exactly the greatest, but it's okay, right? (looks around nervously) Well, maybe it's not even okay. Tell me how you think. Yes, the setting of the story was totally irrelevant to the story's plot. The setting was just a favor form someone who I know pretty well that _loves _that city.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If someone could tell me Bumblebee's and Jinx's other aliases, that would be very helpful. So, if you know, please tell me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I own a notebook full of ideas, but I don't own Teen Titans.

Please read this, review, and answer the questions at the bottom. Please!

Chapter 11

"Jump City…" he breathed as he stared out the windows of the airplane.

It was a fairly good sized city, not too huge but not too small either. He could also see, probably several miles just outside the city, a small little slice of suburbia. He noticed that all the houses looked exactly the same, and positioned in straight rows along the sidewalk. Every now and then, there would be a larger sized building, which he took to be either a school or a hospital.

He then understood why she was so happy the day she moved to Jump City. "I mean, who would want to live in a town where all the houses look alike, the people are unfriendly, and the coffee is all watery?" he asked himself.

The plane was landing. He was fidgeting around in his seat, very nervous and anxious about what he would say to her. "I can't do this. What if she never forgives me?" he asked, not knowing he said it loudly enough for other people to hear it.

The older woman next to him, who had been silent the whole time deep into a book, said out aloud, "You must do it anyway. If she doesn't forgive you, at least you'll know. It's better than the agony of wondering for every day of your life if you did the right thing. Go to her. If she comes back to you, she will always be with you. If she doesn't, she never did and will."

Richard, slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, but still grateful for the advice at the same time, answered, "You know, you're right. I _should _do this. I _will _do it. Excuse me, I'm going to go fix myself up." He then walked down the aisle way, making his way toward the bathroom.

When he was gone, the man, who sat on the other side of the woman, came back and asked, "So, where's that young man who was sitting by us? Something happen?"

She looked to her left. "You know, I don't know. I remember hearing him talk to himself, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Then, I read this line in my book that deeply touched me. I think I might have read it aloud."

"Can I see?"

She handed her romance novel to him. "Hmm… it is a moving line," the man observed.

In the bathroom, Richard practiced his lines. "Ahem, Rachel? Look, about that, I'm sorry. No! That's too insensitive. Okay let's try again."

He cleared his throat again. This time, in a very emotional and bawling voice, he said, "_Please, _forgive me! I'm so ashamed of what I've done. Please! No, she'd probably just kill me for saying something like that! Okay, one more time."

"Could you hurry it up in there?" asked an angry voice outside.

"Just a moment! Okay, here we go. Rae," he started in a sad, but serious voice, "I'm really sorry. I should have considered your feelings about is, and I hope you can forgive me for the fact that I was so tactless. Oh, that just sounds terrible. Oh, forget it. I'll think of the right thing once I'm there." He opened the door and apologized to the angry man waiting impatiently for him to get out.

Once the plane landed, he grabbed his stuff as quickly as he could and darted out into the airport. He looked all over for her, but couldn't find her. He checked the flight schedules. She wasn't on his flight, so she had to be on the other one. Turns out it was delayed for a while and she would arrive in a few minutes. He waited patiently for a while, thinking of what he would say to her.

"Flight seventeen from New York has arrived," said a voice over the intercom.

"There we go." He scanned all around, looking for a black haired girl with violet streaks and eyes. He didn't see her anywhere. All the people had come, and he still hadn't found her.

"Damn it! Where is she?" he wondered.

"Here," responded a quiet voice.

He turned around. There she was, Rachel, except instead of looking like the normal, strong, apathetic Rachel, she looked depressed and vulnerable.

"Rae," he said in wonder.

She then said in a voice so quiet that it was almost a whisper, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Kitten and start catching up on whatever it is that happened?"

He noticed the sadness in her voice. "Rachel,"

She interrupted, "Look, Richard, I'm sorry about how I acted. I shouldn't have been so selfish and blind. I should've realized how much you cared about her. I'm sorry for telling you about all of that, but I hope you don't hate me and that we can still be friends…" Her voice was quiet, hoping to refrain from crying in front of him and appearing weak.

"Rachel, look…"

"I mean, I know that you don't like me that way, and I accept that. I know that you're only here so you can hear me apologize and not feel guilty if you did."

"Rae,"

"I'm _really _sorry. It's just that after getting my heart broken, you were just there, and I don't think I should have…"

"Rachel!" he shouted, hoping that she wouldn't interrupt again.

"Yeah?" she asked, wishing that he wouldn't yell at her.

"That's not the reason why I came here at all."

"It's not? Then why are you here anyway?"

"Look, I've been considering things. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have taken your feelings into account. And I also wanted to tell you, that…"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you that…"

"Yes?" she asked again, wondering why on earth he came to Jump City if he couldn't even speak."

"I love you too." He looked at her face again, but to his dismay, she wasn't smiling. She was frowning at him, looking at him like he was an even bigger jerk than before. "Rae, what's wrong?"

"What's your problem? You don't need to make me feel better with even more of your lies! Hypocrite! You're not in love with me! You just think you do. You're just saying that because you didn't like the Kitten that you saw. You're just transferring those feelings for her into me."

"No, really. Rae, I _do _love you. I need you."

"Oh yeah? Tell me. Why? Do you love me because you need me to fill a space in your heart that's empty? Or do you need me because you really do love me?"

"What?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Do you love me because you need someone in your life, or do you need me in your life because you really _do _love me? Are your feelings real, or are they just what you think they are?"

He was speechless. He didn't know what to say, in fear of offending her.

"That's what I thought," she spat out. "It's the first. Richard, I'm sorry to say this, but you really are a total loser." And with that, she disappeared from sight.

"Rachel!" He buried his face in his hands. "What did I do wrong this time?"

Then, someone standing by him who heard the whole thing, said, "You're not from here, are you?"

He stared at the girl in front of him. She was pale and had pink streaks in her hair. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Just call me Jenny," she replied. "Obviously, you don't know how to deal with Rachel Roth. Though, I am impressed that she got to know you so quickly and actually talked to you. Trust me, you should feel honored."

"How exactly do you know her?" he asked. "What do you mean by honored?"

"Well, duh. Of course you didn't know. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No," Richard said slowly, not sure whether he could trust this girl, Jenny, or not.

"Well then. You obviously haven't heard of how heartbroken she was after her _boyfriend _laid another girl and got her pregnant."

"She never told me that."

"Of course she didn't. Then the same girl runs down the aisle on the wedding day and starts screaming and revealing to everyone how Rachel's boyfriend was the sick bastard he still is. Then she cried for a _long _time. Then she met you, and you obviously didn't have a clue about any of this and went ahead and broke her heart. Actually, I _don't _think you should feel honored. You're just like all the others."

"How do you know her?" he asked, his voice sounding annoyed at the bratty girl in front of him.

"Well, Rae and I are…not exactly what you'd call BFF's, but I think I'd be a better one than those preppy girls she always hangs out with."

"You must be so jealous."

"I'm not!" she answered, not noticing the sarcasm in his voice. "It's just that… since she won't hang out with people like her, she's like a total outcast. She'd fit right in with us, but she won't give us a chance. I'm telling you, if she keeps going on like that, she'll be a total loser."

"Rachel is _not _a loser!" he declared firmly, defending her.

"Oooh… now she's got pretty boy protecting her. Please, you're just like all of them." Then she imitated in a mock, boyish voice. "Oh, I love you so much!" Then, in a high-pitched, girly voice, "Ahem?" Then in the boyish tone again, "Actually, I'm sorry. I forgot. I _don't _love you anymore. As of yesterday, we're over." Then she looked at him smugly, "Isn't that right?"

"I am _nothing _like that." He groaned. "Can you just tell me where she lives?"

"That I can do."

"Well than why'd you have to give me a hard time? Why not just give it to me at the beginning so we wouldn't have had to waste time?"

" 'cause it was worth it."

"Why?"

"You look so adorable when you get angry and defensive."

He gagged internally. He always hated this. Every single girl was the same. At the beginning, he thought that this… Jenny, was okay since she wasn't looking at him with lovey-dovey eyes. Now, he was just disgusted, again.

"Here you go. Oh, and tell her I said hi," she said.

"Sure." Then, under his breath as he walked away, "Don't count on it."

* * *

(groans loudly) What possessed me to write all that? How could I mess up his apology? Why'd I make Jenny (Jinx, thank you for telling me.) think that Richard was cute? Why do I suck at writing so much? When you have those answers, please review and tell me.

Oh yeah. I'm working on a "Sleeping Beauty" rewrite, but I need some opinions. Here they are.

Should Bumblebee or Jinx be the third godmother? (Star and Terra are the other two.)

Should Raven have her telekinesis and other powers or no?

Should Kitten be Raven's annoying younger sister who is heiress because her sister's gone or should Raven have no sister at all?

If you think Bee should be a godmother, should her name be "Bee" or "Karen"?

Do you think it's a good idea if I name the kingdoms "Azarath" and "Gotham"? Or should I be more original?

I'm serious! I want to know your opinion!


End file.
